Zeff, an associate professor of pathology, is this
year's winner of the Charles N. Loeser Award for
Excellence in Teaching in the Basic Medical
Sciences. The Loeser Award is presented yearly to a
Health Center faculty member by second-year medical
and dental students. It is the 29th time the Loeser
award has been presented and the third time Zeff
has won.

The award is named in memory of anatomy professor
Dr. Charles Loeser. The winner must possess
scholarly curiosity; the ability to evoke in
students an enthusiasm for learning; and a desire
to give wholeheartedly of themselves to advance the
welfare and education of their students.

The feeling's mutual: "He's a terrific teacher,"
says Jamie Roach, now a third-year medical student
and one of those who voted for Zeff.

"He's a dynamic speaker," she says. "He knows what
he's talking about, and he has the ability to
convey information. He cares about each student and
he makes sure students are enjoying the process of
learning."

Zeff has been teaching immunology at the Health
Center for 16 years. His approach is grounded in
the basic questions, "What do the students need to
know?" and "What do I need to do to help them learn
it."

He also shares something in common with many
winners of the Health Center's teaching award: he
uses the blackboard.

"I use the blackboard because it is a nice break
from PowerPoint," he says. "Data isn't being thrust
at the students via electronic means."

Zeff says he uses schematic drawings to talk about
immunology. "You can provide a lot of information
in a sketch," he says. "Students can see and
appreciate where the pieces fit in and they can
make sense of very complex biological processes."

Dr. Bruce Koeppen, dean for academic affairs and
education, himself a four-time winner of the Loeser
teaching award, describes Zeff as "a gifted and
master teacher," adding that Zeff understands the
students' perspective, and anticipates where they
will have difficulty.

"He also regularly encourages students to ask
questions," adds Koeppen. "This ensures he has not
moved too quickly through the material."

Roach, the medical student, says Zeff "uses a nice
mix of talking to us, asking questions, and drawing
stuff on the board. He watches our faces to see if
we look like we're getting it. The way Dr. Zeff
teaches expands on each step and, because he draws,
it allows the students' thought process to catch up
with him."

Zeff's interaction with students involves more than
just top quality classroom teaching. He is a member
of the admissions committee, so he meets many of
the medical school's applicants; and, as a member
of the curriculum development committee, he's an
integral part of designing the program the students
will experience.

Administrators at the School of Medicine have
always believed that school isn't just education
alone, it's a life experience. It's a view Zeff
shares: the literature club he started and hosts at
his home gives students and faculty an opportunity
to socialize and get to know one another away from
the campus.

Zeff holds a Ph.D. in immunology from Rush
University in Chicago, where he had his first
teaching experience: "Being in the lecture hall at
Rush and facing those students was very
intimidating, but it was very exciting too," he
says. "I knew then I wanted to participate in the
academic setting"

After more than a decade-and-a-half of experience
in lecture halls, Zeff still feels the
exhilaration. "It's exciting for me when the new
classes arrive," he says.

Zeff sees his task as an educator as going beyond
the provision of information. "It's vital for a
teacher to be in touch with the students' needs,
but also to be able to instruct them so that they
know how to use the information," he says.

"Successful teachers don't just share information
with students," he adds, "they help them prepare
for their futures."